How Many Are There?

There are 37,845 Rebekah's in the USA. My last name is not registering any others, but my husband has the same last name (I think his grandmother told me in 1996 there were 49 in the US- many more in Germany! About 1 in 10 names are not listed in the database- check yours out!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Are You Ready for Black Friday?

It seems a little early to start making preparations for Black Friday, but it is never too early to start making a plan. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when all of the stores have the greatest deals, before 8:00 am! I live in a rural area, so for the past few years, my mom, my sister, my sister-in-laws and I have pack up Thanksgiving night and drove at least an hour and a half to go to the closest biggest city, spend the night in a hotel (one time the hotel was IN the mall) and then we get up at 4:30 am to be at a super store at 5:00 am when the doors open.

And it is crazy! No carts, people fighting and pushing for the best deals (of which there are usually on one or two per store), and mass chaos for the first hour or two of your day.

Then we go to the mall. More craziness and more deals, but at what price! Not to mention I buy so many things that are not even Christmas presents because I cannot resist the deal!

This year I have a new plan. It is a great website that provides you with all of the black friday ads by email alert before anyone else. You don't have to wait for the Thanksgiving newspaper! You can purchase all of the items online WITHOUT standing in line through direct links from the Black Friday ads.

The store I go to first every year is Target. And Black Friday list Target's after Thanksgiving specials via email right when they get them. Then you can sit at the comfort of your computer and place your order for the same deals that are available in the stores (I am sure there are some limitations to some deals and times to purchase, but it is STILL better than standing in line!).

As the holiday season gets closer, the Black Friday website will be my main source of planning for the great deals! I WILL NOT be in line this year at 5:00 am! I will be in the comfort of my home with my crazy family instead!

I am a Top Momma

I finally made it to Top Momma. Vote for me to see how long I can last. It is the same picture that is on the corner of this blog. Thanks for your help.

Back to School Tips

I am participating in the Smart Moms Back to School Tips contest to win a $25 gift card to my choice of a few different places. Of course, I cannot win, because I am a Smart Mom, but I still want to promote it in case any reader wants to participate!

My back to school tip is to schedule a fun activity one day of the week after school. We have made this day Thursday, because our children's museum is open late on Thursday's. I pick up the kids at 4:00, we go get ice cream at our local ice cream shop, and then go to the museum for an hour or so. It is our special event. Especially when I am convincing the 4 year old to go to school, it is a good motivator! We may add in dinner out (and some restaurants may offer free kids meals on Thursday's) but right now they are a little tired to sustain that long.

Plan a special week night event, especially if you have older kids- my parents used to call it "family night." We were all forced to join in, no exceptions, and now I am thankful to have had that time with my family!

One Word Meme

I was tagged by Make Money From Home and thought it would be fun to do.

One Word Meme: A fun idea. Simply cut and paste these questions onto your blog, answer them and then find other blogs to tag! It's fun and easy and something a little different!You can only answer each question with ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? car
2. Relationship? Married
3. Your hair? Blonde
4. Work? teacher, entrepreneur
5. Your sister? four
6. Your favorite thing? my family
7. Your dream last night? too long ago to remember
8. Your favorite drink? COKE
9. Your dream car? BMW
10. The room you’re in? family
11. Your shoes? None
12. Your fears? thunder
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? at home
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Ali & Stephen and Rick
15. What are you not good at? cleaning
16. Muffin? Banana Nut
17. One of your wish list items? financially free
18. Where you grew up? Florida
19. Last thing you did? fix links
20. What are you wearing? shorts and t-shirt
21. What aren’t you wearing? shoes
22. Your pet? dog
23. Your computer? gateway
24. Your life? busy
25. Your mood? frantic
26. Missing? ?
27. What are you thinking about right now? conference
28. Your car? vibe
29. Your kitchen? empty
30. Your summer? Hot
31. Your favorite color? green
32. Last time you laughed? a few minutes ago
33. Last time you cried? days ago
34. School? continuous
35. Love? my family

I am joining the "I Reply Movement"

I am making an effort to reply if you comment on my blog. So check back for the reply later- let's make a blogging community!

A Screaming Toddler

Our toddler girl has been screaming every morning and afternoon for three days. Not screaming over pain, but over frustration and anger. We don't know if she is taking it out on us that she is in preschool now or if she is not sleeping well or if she is just frustrated over her lack of speech!

It is not really a tantrum at first, but can certainly move into one if we make her do what we want her to do... she is a determined child!

Here are some tips from experts on how to handle toddler tantrums and some discipline tips for toddlers that may help me out and anyone else suffering!

I Won The Picture Of the Week

I was on of the selected winners of the picture of the week from Mommy's Coffee Break.

You can join too- just go to the Mommy's Coffee Break to see the rules.

Thanks Lara!

Newberry Award Considerations 2008

After some research this morning on the Newberry Award considerations for this coming year, I was astounded by the amount of wonderful literature there is available from this year. I was disappointed to not find a very good list of the books that are possible considerations.

I have heard about and know something about the Newberry award, but I did not know that there is not a published list of books that are being considered by the committee. It is a big secret. There are books submitted for approval that are read, judge, and finally announced as the winner or as honor winner. The books for consideration must have been published during this calendar year, which is exciting to see all the new children's literature during one year!.

I created an Amazon Newberry Award List from the two sources I found. These books were given as suggestions from qualified individuals (not me!).

There is an online Newberry discussion group and some a Newberry blog to keep up with. I hope you will read some of these books before the announcement of the award winner in January 2008. Maybe you can start your own Newberry group! These books selections would be great to read with your children or have your children read at home.

For past winners, please visit the American Libraries Association for a complete list.

Defywire Mobile Guardian Back to School Safety Checklist

Defywire is dedicated to keeping students and teachers safe with their real-time wireless data to school administrators on Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs. This system gives administrators access to information that was previously only in the front office and could not be accessed at a moments notice. It gives administrators emergency and truancy information, class schedules, grades, and other critical student information wherever and whenever they needed it--in the gym or on the playground.

The have also created this Back to School Safety Checklist that is great information for all parents:

BACK TO SCHOOL SAFETY CHECKLIST
1. Designate an out-of-town person for your child to call in the event of a crisis. When emergencies happen, cell sites in the local area get completely overwhelmed, and a call from one local tower to another is unlikely to be completed.

2. Tell your child to use a short text message code with an agreed-upon meaning in an emergency. A pre-set word such as “stars” could quickly and safely convey the message, “I am in danger at school.”

3. Choose a social networking website as a back-up way to communicate when all else fails. When cell phone lines were jammed at Virginia Tech, students reverted to Internet sites such as Facebook to tell loved ones that they were safe and where they were located.

4. Make sure that the school has all of your up-to-date contact information. In today’s world, cell phone numbers and email addresses change frequently, but parents often forget to update this crucial information with school officials.

5. Know the school’s emergency plan and practice it. Go to PTA meetings, open houses and other school events where emergency procedures are likely to be presented as a handout.

These are terrific suggestions you may not have considered as a way to help protect the safety of your child. Make a plan and keep your child safe this school year.

Handmade Hair Clips- Get Them For Free!

Pajama Mama is hosting a contest for these darling toddler girl hair clips by Lil' Sugarplum. All you have to do is visit Lil' Sugarplum and comment on Pajama Mama's site about the two hair clips you like the best. You can also do a blog post, if you have a blog, and promote this contest, like I am doing. Support another work at home mom and a crafty lady!

These are my favorite hair clips. They are $6 or $7 each and are too cute! And the are handmade so no one in your playgroup will have them... until they see yours and go online and buy them! Too Cute!

What to do when your burn your hand!

I have done this before and I have done it again. I use my dutch oven in the oven instead of the stove top- which I do 90% of the time- and I grab the handle when it is on the stove after coming out of the oven. It really hurts and I am typing and putting my hand on the ice pack!

I do not know why I don't remember I just took it out and it is 350 degrees! I know to put something over the handle so you do not forget and I forget to do that too. So now I have a burn... and it hurts.

And I cannot type anymore!

My Best WAHM Networking Tip

I am participating in a Blog Carnival with Suzanne at The Moms In Business Blog. Our topic, The Best Networking Tip.

My best networking tip is to actually get out and network- online and offline! Sounds simple, right? But so many work at home moms don't get out of their house and don't join online groups. They work hard on their sites and blogs, but they are not out there promoting what they have to offer.

First, online solutions are easy for work at home moms with internet access. You meet some great and resourceful people online by joining quality online forums or groups. Some mom forums are not the greatest for networking because they are about being a mom, not a work at home mom. Others are great for both. It is all about what you are looking for.

Two terrific online forums for work at home moms are the Smart Moms forum and Mommy's Helper Forum. Read more about making new online friends at my work at home mom blog.

Second, offline solutions are also easy but sometimes harder to find. Join moms groups or community service organizations. The local Chamber of Commerce is also a great resource to meet other business professionals. I think sometimes work at home moms don't see their business as a business and do not think they are worthy of a business group. This is so incorrect! Find a local group and meet some local contacts. They may not be the main source of revenue, but you never what might result. And they are a great source of ideas and support.

No matter how you network, you must network! Networking is one of the most important parts of your business. Make sure your incorporate networking into your home based business.

Magic Eraser Myth- Email Urban Legends

I have just finished a series of emails from another mom who forwarded the magic eraser email to anyone and everyone. Knowing it was false and how many people take those emails as fact, I sent the link (above) from Snopes as a "reply all". Now I may have been wrong in telling everyone the TRUTH, because the mom said I made her embarassed. I never intend to make anyone embarassed, it is not in my nature. It is my nature to speak the truth. And would she had ever told all those moms she made an error if it would have embarassed her?

So here it is- quit forwarding emails to other moms about things that MAY NOT BE TRUE! It causes fear and panic by anyone that does not do their research. The hand sanitizer email, TRUE! I looked it up before I believed it. And I did not forward it to one person- with all the media coverage, most everyone knew the facts anyway.

Do not believe everything you read. Check it out. And do not pass along incorrect information.

Better yet, do not pass along forwards... they are time consuming and mostly without validity. Do not waste your time reading forwards either. There are plenty of great websites with comedy, humor, and FACTS that we do not have to fill up our inboxes with forwards. Not to mention, the potential viruses you can be sending to your unsuspecting friend.

Now I am off my soap box!

Boys Will Be Boys- Extreme Stunts!

This is every moms nightmare- well most of these stunts on this youtube video are- some are not too bad, but they make me cringe!

Boys will boys! (The music is good, but I did not listen to the lyrics so there may be some inappropriate words.)

Alzheimer's Memory Walk for Charity- Be A Team Captain!

The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. This event is held annually in hundreds of communities across the country. They need volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder. More than 5 million Americans now have Alzheimer’s. It is a very common, but very serious brain disorder with a wide variety of symptoms ranging from minor forgetfulness to complete memory loss. And the symptoms only get worse over time and eventually lead to death.

Scientist cannot find a reason some brain cells are affected by Alzheimer's, but they do not some risk factors. Most people are over age 65. People with a family history of the disease are also more likely to have the disease. They need to do more research because there is no cure!

The Alzheimer's Association also provides information on symptoms, how the brain works, and how the brain is effected by Alzheimer's.

Since 1989, Memory Walk has raised more than $225 million.

Team captains are needed NOW! Team Captains need to sign up early to ensure they have enough time to recruit a team so some fundraising for the cause! Being a team captain is a rewarding experience, especially is you have been directly affected by this terrible disease.

Dinner Planner Menu With a Shopping List!

I love to cook, but hate to cook dinner. I love to cook, but hate to plan the menu. A while back, I found a service that provided dinner menus with a shopping list and it was great! Until I started looking at the processed foods and calories/fat that were involved. Today, I found a new menu planner with a shopping list, called DinnerPlanner.com. You get your first menu free, then it is $10 for three months. You get a menu sent to your email each Friday before 10:00 am est!

I got this weeks menu and it looks great. The shopping list was already organized by category and was simple to follow. It looks like I will be signing up!

Zookoda- Email Marketing Tool for Bloggers

Zookoda is a new email marketing tool designed to specifically help bloggers increase their readership. You can drive more traffic to your blog through an email newsletter. Using Zookoda, you can give readers a daily, weekly, or monthly summaries of your blog. It also gives you the option to design your newsletter to match your blog with professional templates or design your own. They also help to manage your subscriptions and schedule reoccurring broadcast to your subscribers- that means your subscribers get an update with less work from you.

Best of all, this service is FREE! So many other newsletter services are labor intensive and cost per month or per subscribers. Zookoda is giving it away for free.

I am definitely checking into this service to use for my blogging newsletter. By sending updates to my readers I can attract those that do not check back often enough. This way, I can increase hits back to my blog with little effort.

And remember, you want your home based business, even if it is a blog, to be automated. If you want to take a vacation, you can and your readers will continue to get updates and continue to visit your site. Be the first to be in Zookoda!

Check out Zookoda and see how it can work for your blog.

Genius Denied

I have always taught students with learning difficulties, and now my new job is with advanced learners. For the past week, I have been learning about how the No Child Left Behind Act has so much focus on the lowest learners improving that they have lost touch with the advanced learners accelerating.

There are great options for students that are advanced or gifted learners, including a great site call Genius Denied. If you think you have an advanced learner, make sure to make your feelings of advanced learning known to school administration. Parents need to be advocates for their child to get the learning the need to success, even if it is ahead of the other students.

As I learn more, I will share more!

Work at Home Moms, Make it Official

As many of you know, I have many home based businesses as well as my new outside the home career. I am joined with three other moms as 4fabmoms. When we began this journey last spring, we decided to make it official and become an LLC. Fortunately, one of our partners has an attorney husband who create our official LLC documents. This way, we are not only a business and get to join our many different organizations as a business, we also get to deduct many business related meetings and expenses. We made it official.

There are many ways to set up your home based business, not just an LLC. One thing is for sure, you cannot do it alone.

There is new company that is helping people make their business official. IncParadise.Com. This company is helping thousands of entrepreneurs each year to start their own business. They are not lawyers. They don't charge high fees. All they do is to help with all the paperwork which might be complicated to people who are not familiar with starting businesses.

Some of the services and states that are available are:
Texas corporations
Florida
Nevada
Arizona
Other states may be available.

They also have a virtual office program and executive suites. Starting at $45 per month, you can basically use their office with free phones and internet and their conference room. "Why meet clients in Starbucks when you can meet them in professional office."

It is one more option to make it official.

This is a sponsored post.

My Little Sister is Going to College

My little sis (third from left) is heading off to college tomorrow. She is going far, far away! I was in high school when she was born and she even came and stayed in my dorm room when I was in college.

She is happy and excited as any college bound girl should be. It makes me feel old to think she is old enough for college! Although- she has always seen me as old I am sure.

It is strange having sisters in high school (one is starting ninth grade and will leave for her new boarding school next week- first on left) and college. How can they relate to their big sis with two children and a mom? Perfectly, I am their big sister that "knows it all" as they like to say. I hope they will remember that when they are away!

I will miss them so much! But I am glad and excited for what they will experience. I pray for their safety, for their happiness, and to relieve their nervousness... and my mom's! Besides the four of us, we have one brother. She has been a mom with children in the house for 37 years! WOW!

The Day Care Culture

I am a teacher. This is my eighth year teaching, skipping 4 years in between to stay home with my children. Now, I am on the other side. I am the parent and have to follow the rules and regulations of a school. This is not the easiest adjustment, especially when I know a few things about preschool.

The first thing I am having difficulty with is trying to find food that my children will eat at a scheduled time. I know they will adjust, but there are rules for eating. Today, their pop corn got sent home. The other days, they were not allowed to eat their fruits snacks. And my milk addicted son did not finish his milk during lunch and of course could not take it with him. My daughter has come home hungry and he has come home thirsty. I know they will get used to it, but until then, I feel like they are starving and dying of thirst!

The second thing is that my son, just 4, was sent home a list of sight words. While I want him to learn to read, I don't think now is the time. Sight words start at KINDERGARTEN, and even then, not at the beginning. I am worried he will be stressed or they will expect a drill and practice routine. I do not believe children need to read at four. If they do, it is great, if not, let it be!

Those are the two major things so far. "School" actually starts next week, so they will have a teacher, not a day care personnel. I am hoping I have a change of heart, because right now, I am confused about letting someone else be with my child more hours per day than I am. Many people do it, it just was not in my plan.

A good thing is that I do love my job so far and I am looking forward to it. Since I have to work, I could not have asked for a better position with a better list of responsibilities. As the weeks go on, we shall see!

Is She Really A Mom?

My dear cousin, Desha Rodriquez, is not only an amazing body builder but a teacher and a mom of 2 amazing little girls. Click on her name and check out her amazing pictures.

She just won a competition this past week that puts her in Pro status- she just turned 26!

I am so proud of her and wish her well... and along with the rest of us moms, so jealous of her physique!

A First Day

Today was the first day for many things in our household...

1. The first day my husband was officially the "dean" of his new school. He moved from being a teacher to the discipline dean at his school. He is 6 feet 4 inches... his students are kindergarteners! :)

2. The first day I went back to work since having children (out side the home). I am a "teacher" that does not have to teach students. I am a resource teacher, working from our district office (not school based which is a first too). I am kind of "creating" my job since it is a fairly new position. I love it!

3. The first day of school for my children. Actually, this week is day care and next week is the official school. It is at my church, so they were so comfortable, even with different people, they walked right in without a fuss. They even want to go back!

I found this poem on DLTK Kids:

School Poem
Author Unknown

Today I hurry off to school,
To work and learn and play
I'm in a brand new grade this year.
What a happy day!!!!!

A happy first day for us all!

The Great American Bake Sale

The 4fabmoms are joining in the Great American Bake Sale is a national campaign to raise money for child that live in the United States that are hungry. The money raised will help end childhood hunger. On any given day, 12 million children in this country face hunger.

To help us reach our goal of $150, donate to end childhood hunger . The campaign continues through the end of August. Please help us reach our goal and donate even a small amount. As we know, each dollar will help to pay it forward.

Watch this ABC video with Rachel Ray for more information.

Cleaning Out the Children's Clothes

With school days just around the corner and the need to be efficient in the mornings, I tackled the children's dresser tonight- it is mostly filled with my daughter's clothes. My sister has a daughter older than mine, but smaller. She gave me a whole bunch of winter clothes, but my daughter (2 years younger than hers) will grow out of them before the winter comes (he daughter wore them this past winter). I have also held on to some things that looked like they were big, but really are not going to work.

So I am purging the clothes.

I have taken out anything I do not like or do not want or do not fit. There are now four possibilities for them:
1. Donate them to the Salvation Army.
2. Give them away to a friend.
3. Take them to the consignment store.
4. Sell them on ebay. (Since the 4fabmoms are doing an ebay challenge to clean out their houses, I could sell them on ebay with tips from the ebay selling coach.)

There are no longer younger girls in the family to pass them down to (soon I will be passing up!), so a close family friend will get some. But since I am trying get together some cash to pay off credit cards, I need to sell the better name brand items. And sadly, this time, the ones I don't want to do anything with will go to the Salvation Army. I know someone can use them, even though I see them as unfit (they are still in wearable condition).

It feels good to clean out and be organized. I may have to go back to my house cleaning challenge again!

Man of the Year

I saw this post on Bye Baby Bunting and was inspired, so I went to the hosting blog, Sarah at Real Life, for Man of the Year and got even more inspired!

So I am nominating my man for the man of the year!


As I have listed in other posts about my husband, he has been doing so much around the house this summer while he has been on summer vacation. He has cleaned, done laundry, fixed the water filter, and most of all sold over $800 of junk from the garage! He is now planning a family vacation to Disney in September with the proceeds!

But what has also made him the Man of the Year is that on June 21, he found out he probably had testicular cancer. After many tests and surgery, we were told that it was most definitely cancer. However, since the very first day, he was positive, faithful, and optimistic, never showing fear or anger. His back was killing him and he was on pain medicine, but he never had a bad attitude. He had the surgery and was as good as new, even though we did not know the results yet. When he was told it was cancer, he was still positive. When he was told he had to do two rounds of chemo, he was okay too. When they told us he did not have to do chemo, he was ecstatic!

He has already gone back to work at his new job as a dean. He is excited about his new position and is working hard to get a new school going. Since I am going back to work, he is even working his hours so he can pick the children up after the work day (of course the dropping off is the bad part!).

So my man should be the Man of The Year! He deserves it if not from anyone else, from his family!

GodTube

I found this post on Adventures of a Suburban WAHM about GodTube, it is YouTube for Christian content.

How great is that! When I clicked over there today, there was a Max Lucado and a group from Liberty University asking for your life's purpose. Plus there was this cute little girl saying Psalms 23.



Their concept is Broadcast Him! What a wonderful idea...

Financial Whoops!

Online banking is a great thing- except when you make an error- like transfer money out of an account into another instead of transferring money in!

WHOOPS!

I was wondering what was happening to our bank account... I was sure someone had used my debit card or something, but no. It was me. A transfer the wrong direction!

A lesson learned once- and will never happen again.

And for moms that want to make money- not excuses, read more from Jean Chatzky- I just love her. She has helpful tips for women in money. Learn the eight simple things you need to know to get rich- besides paying fees for transferring out instead of in!

GPS for the Directionally Challenged

I am famous... famous for taking the wrong turn and knowing it! I am always thinking a road will go one way it is does not... mostly, because in Florida, we have these things called BODY OF WATER.

It is not just the big bodies of water- the Gulf and the Atlantic usually help me in my direction- the Atlantic is on the east- so I can figure out the rest of the directions from there.

It is the lakes, rivers, and other water ways that get in my way. There are not always bridges where I need them to be~

And it is not the around town directions- I know every short cut there is to get around my city- even where the water is.

It is the longer trips, when I make a turn because I think it is correct- and it usually is not.

Today, for the first time, I saw the east side of Lake Okeechobee- that is the big lake in the center of the state. I made one turn and went the wrong way north. I ended up where I knew (and at least I knew I was going north), but I again was calling my husband telling him about the new adventure I was on. I asked him for a GPS for Christmas- one that leads me like a lamb to the location.

So ends my two days with my grandmother- the long way home!

All Women Blogging Carnival

I am participating in the All Women Blogging Carnival hosted by the 4fabmoms.

Our post is to be about something humorous that happened as a mom or a humorous story about a child.

My post is about my oven catching on fire. While it does not seem funny, it was, even if you cannot read it in my not so humorous writing. My husband finally purchased the damaged part and we now have the full sized oven repaired, but I still love my little counter top oven.

As a mom, you never know when you will be called to be a nurse, a fireman, an electrician, or a chef. There are so many hats, I cannot list them all!

Back to School Tips for Preschoolers

As our summer vacation comes to an end, we are finishing up our last days of freedom. With having been home for 4 years, the biggest change in August was my husband going back to work. Now it will be back to work for both of us and to school for the other two.

As a newbie to this school thing (I usually am on the teacher side of the occasion)- I found this great article on Back to School Tips for Preschoolers. There are great ideas for what to include in your child's backpack and tips for first timers.

So off to Grandma's for a few days of "vacation"- two children and stairs are probably not the most relaxing ways to spend the last few days! Counting the days down...

Unbecoming a Stay at Home Mom

After four years at home, I am becoming a WOHM- a work outside the home mom. As a mom, I have only been a stay at home mom recently adding the work at home mom part. Now, as my friend Amber says, I am a work at home mom with a moonlighting gig.

I am going back to teaching in one week. I got a great job- a consultant teacher to teachers that teach the gifted and advance middle school students. I travel to four schools and help teachers teach the really smart kids.

A far cry from my last teaching- teaching children with learning and behavioral problems.

I am excited about the job since it is what I always wanted to be as a teacher. I am not excited about getting up each morning and getting my children out of the house. My children have never been forced to get up- or for that matter- have a bed time. All of that will change now. :)

So continue with me on this journey... see how I am a WAHM WOHM! A work at home mom (still with Smart Moms and my preschool site) and a work outside the home mom. What a adventure- what a story!

Multiple streams of income... right?

Bad Hair Day

This was too good not to publish today-

Hair after a day at the beach (having been up in a pony tail)!

Two Girls Dancing!

Two two years old get together + "Who Let The Dogs Out"= FUN! FUN!FUN!

Bloggtipping for August

I am joining in with other work at home mom blogs to blogtip other blogs.
I learned about this from Bev's Easy Craft Site and I participating with the 4fabmoms.

Blogtipping Definition: Blogtipping is where you publish a blog post in which you link to three unsuspecting blogs and offer three compliments and/or one helpful tip to each blogger. (Or adapt those numbers to your own preferences; the principle of selflessness is what matters most here.) Blogtipping is a refreshing and useful surprise that can start a blogger’s month with a huge smile!

It is great to find other blogs that have wonderful information and to encourage others to view your blog.

This month's tips:
Lilly Grace- the youngest of the tipped!
Life on the Road- Home Business, Homeschool, & Cats
The Mommy Blog and her adventures at Blogher

Glamour Magazine Wants to Know About Prayer

I received this email from Rachel Hamman about a survey Glamour magazine sent about prayer.

If you would like to participate, answer the following questions and email the answers. Or just comment on this post so we can see your answers.

1. What's the craziest thing you've ever prayed for?
(or most unique or silliest thing)

2. What's the last thing you prayed about?

Send me your responses--a couple of sentences for each--and your:

full name:
age:
city/state:
phone:
email:
PLUS, a high-res JPG photo of your smiling face (if someone else is in
the photo, we can crop it).

A True Summertime Experience- Home Made Ice Cream

I made ice cream yesterday. I make home made no cook ice cream at least one time per year for our church annual ice cream social. It was soooo good to me, but no one at church hardly ate it. That is okay though, since I brought home the rest and saved it for myself!

I always use a no cook coconut ice cream recipe- this time was Almond Joy. If you like coconut, this is for you. It was quite rich so you can only eat a little at a time.

To read more about the recipe, you can see my Preschool Activities Everyday blog with the whole kitchen fun recipe. Make some ice cream with your family!

ChipIn for a Single Mom Scholarship

Helping Hearts and Hands is a local social service organization of women in our community. We are giving one scholarship away Sept 1 to a single mom attending vocational school or college that is a resident of our county. With your help, we can give away 2! Chip In to donate. All money will go directly to Helping Hearts and Hands (less paypal fees I will have to pay!).
Thank you for your help.

Blogging for Beginners

As I reach my 100th post on my very first independent mom blog, I have began to research on ways to make money from a blog.

Smart Moms is always looking for ways to make money from home. A blog is a simple way with little monetary investment to make money, if done correctly.

Do I know what correctly is?

Not completely or much at all as I begin to research.

However, believe it or not, this blog, without effort except posting quite a few days per week, has made me around $50 in the past 4 months.

Not much, but not too bad for not much work.

Over time, it will be enough to buy a new pair of shoes without guilt, or eventually pay for a family vacation (my trick is that the money will all go into an online bank account I do not access on a regular basis!).

And the only cost I have in this blog is my new domain- www.the-day-of-a-mom.com (no more blogspot.com!) and that is costing me $5.99 a year from 1&1. And that is even with a free email address!

I am going to be forging ahead with learning about blogging and I hope you will join me. Here is a place to start, a 6 figure income earner blogger with some beginning blogging tips.

One more star for hubby!

I have already bragged about my husband about how great it has been having him home. Last night, he cleaned out the pantry! I got the nice pantry shelf organizers about 9 months - 1 year ago and cleaned it out pretty good. But I did not look at any expiration dates. Well, here in the hurricane state, you tend to stock up on canned goods and non-perishables. Who knows how long those things last? Well he found some pretty old ones. Have you ever heard of a can of artichokes exploding???? ...that is what started all of this off.

So now the pantry is free and clear of old food- now I don't have guilt over not using it.

And you know what they problem was... recipes. I would gather up ingredients to cook a recipe and go back to the plain old food I always cook! Gourmet cooking is never a quick option!

Thanks to my hubby and his wonderful eagerness to clean our house during his vacation!

P.S. He wanted me to add that we have more pasta per capita than any other house in the US. I never use up a whole box and always try to work it in. It would help if I only bought one type of pasta and then that would solve the problem!

Children's Place Back to School Savings

If you are getting ready for back-to-school shopping, it could not help to have some discounted savings at some of your favorite stores. I just found the Coupon Chief coupon codes that offer a ton of coupons for online shopping. There are a large variety of stores to choose from with discounts on large purchases and small purchases. You can actually sign up for their email newsletter to get coupons delivered right to your mailbox!

The coupon I found that most interest me today was for The Children's Place- $5 flat shipping (you cannot beat that!), 20% off backpacks, or 15% off your entire order. There are many to choose from so you can get the best deal.

And I love The Children's Place because they are a good price on some cute clothes and accessories.

What mom does not want to save some money with your online shopping? The Coupon Chief is another great find for online shoppers.

This post is sponsored post through PayPerPost.

Bragging on my husband!

My husband is a school teacher, so he is home for the summer. It is wonderful because he is helping out all around the house. He has done laundry, begun to clean out the garage, sell thing on ebay, and even cleaned the porch. I am also able to sleep in with our youngest even though the oldest gets up before 7:00 am.

It is also nice to have some family time with either the kids separate with one adult or all of us together. This summer has been great (except of course the cancer and the surgery- but those are over and done with!).

It has been so nice to have him home. Teachers do not have the highest paid jobs but the benefit of being off during the summer and holidays is worth it... plus, he just loves to teach!

I am a Postie! for Pay Per Post

As a work a home mom, I am constantly looking for ways to bring in money from different sources- that is the basis of Smart Moms.

Over the past few months, I have been amazed at the things I have found on the internet. One of these is payperpost. I found it a few months ago, but my blog did not qualify- you have to be over 3 months old with more than 20 posts. I had the 20+ posts, but was not three months old. My friend Betsy reminded me today to go back and reapply- so here I am. I can earn $20 for this post, $5 or more here and there for other posts. You select the opportunity and write about it on your blog.

In my opinion, this is perfect for mom blogs. Why not make some money why you are doing what you will do anyway- posting!? Plus you can get more money for referring others to Pay Per Post and earn more as your ranking improves and as you post more! See my badge in the side panel- if you are interested click through and join me.

If you have a blog or looking to earn some extra money, think about payperpost. If you have not started a blog, start one and in three months, come back and join. There are always times when you are looking for something interesting to post about so why not get some ideas and make some money. Multiple Streams of Income is the ultimate goal!

Suave Tips for Busy Moms

The folks at Suave recently conducted a survey of women asking can motherhood and womanhood co-exist? The results went through what moms miss out on and want more of in their motherhood lives. They found that 95% of moms put taking care of their family before anything else in their lives, including taking care of themselves.

With that in mind, here are some Blogger Tips for Busy Moms from Suave...

Beauty:
And while most moms are doing the basics everyday - brushing their teeth (93%) and taking a shower (77%) -- some find it challenging to fit them into their daily routines. Half say they have forgotten to brush their teeth in the morning (53%), and most have had days when they didn't have enough time to shower or bathe (66%).With our beauty tips, you just might be able to sneak this little necessity back in.
I use a foundation that is also a moisturizer and sunscreen all-in-one; much easier to apply one item to my face! -Michelle

Exercise:
Although 67 percent of moms would rather get their pre-baby body back than their pre-baby sex life, exercise opportunities are tough to come by. After shopping for themselves, exercise is the second most desired activity to pursue during coveted “me” time- here's some advice on how to fit in fitness.
In order to get any guilt-free exercise, you have to find ways to incorporate your little ones. I invested in a chariot attachment for my bike. It allows me to load up the kids in the trailer and go. The best part is that they usually end up dozing off and you get to breathe some fresh air, take in the scenery and work towards getting your old body back. Not to mention what it does for your peace of mind. It has truly become my zen moment. - Liz

Child Care:
95% of moms put taking care of their family before anything else in their lives, including taking care of themselves. The average mom spends about 3½ hours a day helping her children with activities and hobbies . And, while it's no surprise that moms often put their children and families first, Suave wants to remind moms that beauty can have a place amongst the dirty dishes and piles of laundry that are an inevitable part of motherhood.
Time for mom does not have to be away from the kids, it is sometimes difficult to get away. Take those moments when playing outside with the kids or taking a walk and listen to a mom podcast (an internet radio show that can be downloaded to a computer), just load up your mp3 player or iPod and enjoy some mom entertainment on the go. - Barbara

It's taken me a while to realize it, but, in order to care for yourself, you sometimes have to just do it, even when it feels like there are other, more important tasks at hand. You have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your family, and, you are the only one that can make it happen. Sure, there are clothes that need folding, but, there's always clothes that need folding, they'll wait. - Elizabeth

Thanks to Suave for these great tips!

Diagnosis: Cancer

In some past posts, I mentioned my husband has been in the hospital and has had some surgery. He had a mass removed from his testicle that was cancerous. he went to the oncologist today who first told him to do two courses of chemo. He later called back (after consulting with Lance Armstrong's cancer doctor!) and said that no treatment, but consistent scans throughout the years is another option. We had to think carefully, but he is going with the observation plan. The likelihood of the cancer returning is possible with either option, of course lower if we treat it now. If it does return without treatment now, he will have to have 4 courses of chemo then. What is the right answer? Only time will tell. Please pray for us in the coming months, years, as we continue to deal with a variety of medical situations.

The Brands Club

Here is something new for me, The Brands Club. It is a free membership club that you shop online through at major stores: Sears, Target, Macy's, ITunes, and tons more. You get cash back from your sales! You get it, not me (although I get a referral commission if you go through my link). You also get major deals too and referral bonuses yourself for referring friends. Check this one out- easy money to earn- easy money to save!

Tuesday Efficiency Tip

Reading my sister work at home mom blog, 4fabmoms, I found Betsy's post on Tuesday's Efficiency Tip. I was also listening to Real Simple on Good Morning American Radio on XM and that gave me the idea for the efficiency tip for unusual uses or different uses for common things around your house.

Straightening Iron to Iron:
One of the ones this morning from Real Simple was for a straightening iron to iron your clothes in a pinch or the space between buttons the iron does not reach.

Toothpaste for acne: This is one I read years ago, use toothpaste on a pimple. It has to be paste. Put it on before bed and it dries the blemish out.

Baking Soda and Vinegar to clean out your clogged tub: Remember the school days with the exploding volcano... the same action will clean out your pipes. Put in some baking soda and get as much down the drain as possible. Then pour in the vinegar and what the explosion. Your kids will love this one!

Scrapers to clean out between the stove/cabinet: If you have a drop in stove, you know it gets gross in between the cabinet and the stove top. If you have a scrapper for stones or other non-stick pans, slide it through the sides and clean out the mess. It is the perfect size.

Do you have tips you want to share? Comment on this blog and I will link you in this post. We would love to share, plus increase traffic to your blog!

Children's Annual Checkup Questions

Don't you love when you go for your children's annual checkups and they ask you all sorts of developmental questions? You really have to think.... does my child describe things? Do they walk backwards?

The one I loved the most today was do they have any behavior, eating, or sleeping problems? Not if eating junk most of the time, whining, and sleeping in your parents bed don't count as problems! It is all how you think of things as problems. My children certainly would not classify those as problems... actually, those would be solutions to their problems! So how do you answer? My doctor is one of those that thinks most children act like children anyways... so I tend to keep my mouth shut. I taught children with behavioral problems, you think I would be able to get a 4 year old to get into bed at night!

Until next year--- maybe I will be better prepared!

Rushing to Church

How is it that even when you get up early, you still end up rushing to church! I remember Sunday mornings with my mom, a single mom or the only parent attending church, screaming at us to get our clothes on, eat breakfast, and get in the car. Then of course there was the argument of three children of who got to sit up front. A never ending saga that ended when we walked in the church doors. You wonder how we learned anything when we got there after the rush and chaos of getting there.

With that in mind, I try real hard not to rush my kids. I read somewhere that "hurry" should never be said to your children. You should plan ahead for enough time so that you not throwing them out the door and into the car seats.

And we were not that late to day. We were technically on time- just not as early as I wanted to be there... I have a bit of a thing for being on time... from the above story, do you wonder why? :)

I did not say "hurry" but I did say "come on guys, get to the car." Of course, we started getting ready too soon, which was part of the problem. We thought we had more time that we ended up with. I will make an effort to make my children not feel rushed, but still get there on time. You try too!

I saw Hairspray!

My husband "let" me go see Hairspray today. I very rarely go to a movie, a very rarely on opening night/day (I went to the matinée). It was quite cute. I thought I knew more of the story than I did. The audience was laughing throughout the whole thing. I know this will end up being the Grease of this generation (not to mention, John Travolta was amazing in this too!).

I thought it was a Broadway hit turned movie in the 70's turned remake in 2007. I was wrong. It was a movie, turned Broadway, turned movie again!

Take the time to go see it- it will make you laugh and be in a great mood when you leave. Here are more facts and tips about Hairspray.

Simple Successful Habits

I was tagged long ago by Wendy of Adventures of a Suburban WAHM Success In Weight Loss. The meme was on Simple Successful Habits.

What has made me successful? I am guessing it what you mean by success. In determining what you do well in life, you really have to look at everything you have accomplished in relation to what you wanted to accomplish.

• I am a success as a mother. That has been my goal in life, to be a mom. I am now the mom to two sweet children. I may not be be the best in all I do, but I am doing the best I can! :)

• I am a success in finishing my education as a teacher. From a young age, all I wanted to do is teach! I love teaching and always have. I love going to school, and still continue to do that now and then! Even though I stay at home, I still tutor, teach Sunday school, and some kids activities. It is in my blood.

• I am a successful entrepreneur. I am judging my success on accomplishing my goals I have set so far. When we started Smart Moms, I did not know what we were getting into. As we have come along, I am amazed at what we have accomplished. Now I am so proud of us!

To be successful, there are some habits you have to have.
1. Setting goals. What is it you want to accomplish? How are you going to accomplish it? What do you want as the end result?

2. Make a plan. When do you want your goal accomplished by? What steps do you need to get to the goal? What education or information do you need to gather in order to accomplish it?

3. Work the plan. Schedule time each day to work towards your goal. Jack Canfield of the Success Principles says to do 5 thing each day towards your goal. I at least do that many! But make them things you can accomplish and that will move towards your goal. Don't get too involved with busy work.

4. Reward your accomplishments. No one wants to work towards a goal and not receive praise when you complete it. Praise yourself if there is no one else to praise you! Reward yourself, even if it is just a day off work (although you know that will probably not happen!). Enjoy the fact that you have reached your goal!

In all things, measure your success by judging yourself, not others. Success is about what you see as accomplishments, not what others are accomplishing. Thanks Wendy for encouraging me to think about success today!

Tagged!
Anita gets a log of tags in her work at home mom blog
Suzy on her Core Insight Coaching blog
And Fine Tune Your Business Ethics! at MomsNetwork.com

One Word Meme

This is from Lara's Place blog. A fun idea. I will tag some people soon to play along.

You can only answer each question with ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Car
2. Relationship? Married
3. Your hair? Blond
4. Work? Home
5. Your sister? Three
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Forgot
8. Your favorite drink? Coffee
9. Your dream car? BMW
10. The room you’re in? Family
11. Your shoes? None
12. Your fears? Thunder
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Vacation
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Braswell's
15. What are you not good at? Cleaning
16. Muffin? Banana-Nut
17. One of your wish list items? Freedom
18. Where you grew up? Florida
19. Last thing you did? Post
20. What are you wearing? T-shirt
21. What aren’t you wearing? Pants
22. Your pet? Dogs
23. Your computer? Gateway
24. Your life? Faithful
25. Your mood? Upbeat
26. Missing? Keys
27. What are you thinking about right now? Pro-Series
28. Your car? Vibe
29. Your kitchen? Cluttered
30. Your summer? HOT
31. Your favorite color? Green
32. Last time you laughed? Morning
33. Last time you cried? Yesterday
34. School? UCF
35. Love? Family

Tagged!

4fabmoms Work at Home Moms Blog

When My Mom Visits

My mom is coming over in the morning to watch my children while we go to the follow up visit for my husband. My mom is not the typical grandmother, since she has two children of her own still in her home- ages 14 and 18. She does occasionally watch the children, but not very often. And she does visit, but not very often. She claims she does not care what our house looks like, but there is always some motherly comment later. Last week, my friend stopped by at the same time and talked about being a germophobe. And my mother said after she left, "I can see why she did not sit down in here!" So I have desperately tried sprucing up my house. When she is here alone, it is even worse, even though she "does not care." I do have to point out, I am not the best housekeeper, but I am not the worst! And she actually employs a house cleaner... 4 days a week! But still, you cannot help but worry when comes to visit!

Multiple Streams of Income on the Internet

Why do I work from home? I work at home so I can be at home to my children. I work at home so I can be here instead having to send them to day care. I work at home so I don't have to go to work! I work at home so I can go to lunch with my mom when I want to. I work at home so I can go to the bathroom when I want to (if you are not a teacher, you would not understand this)!

My other Smart Moms and I had been working at home. We were working a home based business that required us to find others to use our products. Many people do well with that. The Smart Moms were doing well with that! But we wanted to expand our influence. What we learned was so much more! We, four women that thought they were very up-to-date on technology, were missing what we could do for multiple streams of income using the internet.

We still sell products! We have actually found a few more companies we like. But we have also found a new business... helping other moms in home based businesses or those that want to be in a home based business be successful at whatever they choose.

If you are interested in learning more about what the internet has to offer, you have got to read this book, Multiple Streams of Income on the Internet by Robert G Allen. It is quick and easy to understand. I just gave my copy to my friend on Sunday. This is the book to begin with. Then visit our Smart Moms Work at Home Moms Site and see what we can do to help you succeed.

Free Kids Music

I was completing my preschool math activities for measurement page today and heard this song called Tall by Milkshake. I thought the song was appropriate and looked it up on google on found the video on YouTube. I posted it on my site and my preschool activity blog. Then I got an email from the group from my YouTube post that sent me to their website. They have an entire set of kids music for free. You cannot beat that! Check them out. I am sure you will love them! Moms love great music for kids, especially when it is free. Plus they have a whole bunch of videos too!

Friends are great!

Since Rick's surgery this week, our friends from church have been wonderful in bringing up dinner the past few nights. Not only is it nice to not have to worry about cooking, it has been wonderful to not have to go the grocery store. It is nice so we concentrate on the other things. I so appreciate my friends (and my sister in law, Angie) that have provided us dinners. Words cannot express how wonderful it is to not have to worry with that!

Thanks everyone!

Pointless babbling by Mason and Terri's Mom!: Word Verification

Pointless babbling by Mason and Terri's Mom!: Word Verification-
A woman after my own heart! I hate verifications! For some reason I can not do it!

How To Help Your Dry Cracked Feet

If you are like me, your feet are always a mess! Living in Florida and always wearing sandals does not do much to help. Here are some tips from my friends Suzy to help you out.

How to Improve Dry, Cracked Feet Easily
By Suzy Strempke

"How do I get rid of my dry, cracked feet?" is a question that has been asked many times in my 5 years in the skin care industry. Here are a couple of things you should know:

Effective Remedies Require 2 Steps:

Exfoliate THEN moisturize. Repeat daily until condition improved and then cut down to exfoliating 2-3 times per week (you still need to moisturize daily).

Exfoliating alone will not be effective because the skin that is under the dead, dry skin needs moisture to prevent future cracking.

Moisturizing alone will not be effective because there is a barrier from the dead, dry skin.

When you have cracks in your skin from being dry, exfoliating should become your way of life. Not only will you need to exfoliate initially quite a bit to remedy, but you will need to maintain a regular exfoliation routine otherwise the cracks will come back.

Great Exfoliants:

Foot Scrubs
Scrubs can contain a number of ingredients that are great exfoliants such as: pumice, nut shell powders, salt and sugar.

Foot Files or Pumice Stones
Using one of these tools with your scrub gives you extra exfoliating power.

Ingredients to Avoid in Moisturizers:

Never use a moisturizer that has mineral oil in it – EVER. Mineral oil creates an un-penetrable barrier, so even if you have excellent hydrating ingredients in your moisturizer they will not benefit your skin.

Ingredients to Look for in Moisturizers for Extremely Dry Skin:

Jojoba oil is similar to your skin’s natural oil and is easily absorbed. It makes a great moisturizer and never goes rancid.

Azulene (heart of chamomile flower) is one of the most moisturizing ingredients for human skin while being very soothing and calming at the same time.

Implementing these steps and choosing products with healthy ingredients are the key to fabulous feet!

Suzy Strempke, certified core energy coach™, is the owner of Growth In Action - Empowerment Coaching and Training. She is passionate about empowering women to build successful businesses while maintaining healthy and fulfilling personal lives. She helps her clients get "in action" for what they want most for themselves and leads them to bust through internal blocks that are holding them back. A successful entrepreneur for more than five years with Sensaria Natural Bodycare, Suzy enjoys educating women about the value of self-care, nurturing rituals, good skin care and ingredient awareness. For more information please visit http://www.growthinaction.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzy_Strempke

Tagged

I have been tagged by Amber at her homeschooling blog.

Here are the rules:

A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Here we go:

1. I was born in Arizona but have lived all over FL since I was 1 1/2.

2. I am the second of five children, who at this moment all live in my city, including my parents. Family get togethers are crazy since there are a total of 17 of us if you just add in my parents, siblings, spouses, and kids.

3. I am a certified special education teacher and taught for 6 years before staying home with my first born.

4. I love serving at my church and in the community.

5. I have been married for 11 years. We were set up as a blind date.

6. I love roller coasters and have never passed one up!

7. I love being the tourist and going to Orlando theme parks. I have passes to all the Disney parks and Sea World.

8. I am a partner with Smart Moms - Smart Business, LLC, which is changing my life each and every day!

Now I shall tag!
Amanda has a great Pajama Mama community. Lots of info and fun facts.
Val at the Busy Momma
Michelle's Weight Loss Journey
Anne at The Tall Poppy
I cannot believe it, but a dog's blog, Bailey, Suzanne's Mini Doxie
Crystol's Collection of Back to School Items
Super Moms Health and Wellness on customer service
And Sun Safety Tips from Skimbaco (and some cute clothes)

Read about some other great mom blogs at the Smart Moms forum.

Surgery Update

The surgery went well on Tuesday- it took less than 1 hour. They kept him overnight to make sure the kidney was okay and then we came home. We will wait on the biopsy results until next week.

While we were there, friends from our church were also at the hospital. The wife has been in the hospital for weeks, on a ventilator for the past 12 days. They made the decision to let her go this morning and she died peacefully at 10:21 am. Both taught 1st grade Sunday school and taught many children the books of the Bible and Bible passages. She was loved and will be missed.

They did decide to take her off all machines because of her direction in her living will. If you do not have a living will, research the information you need for your state and make your wishes known. It makes it a little easier on your family if the decision has to be made.

The Next Surgery

My husband's surgery is Tuesday morning, so we will be going towards the hospital tomorrow and staying the night since we have to be there at 5:30 am! We are faithful that God is in control! We know it will work out according to His plan. Please be in prayer for Rick and the surgeons and his family. I will let you know how it all turns out as soon as I can.

Work at Home Office Hours

On our Smart Moms Forum, we have had a discussion about working office hours when you are working from home. It is so difficult to stay off the computer and do things like clean the house, play with the kids, do the laundry, etc...

So I am challenging myself. I am going to blast out the last few pages of my new preschool activities site (under construction!) and start with office hours next week. Mostly, that will be 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm with maybe an hour in the daytime to check email. Otherwise, I will spend 2 hours checking email!

Working from home is a great opportunity if you take the opportunity to do the other fun parts that go along with working from home and keeping your kids at home.

If you are interested in working from home, I can help. The Smart Moms team is dedicated to helping mothers work from home and achieve their dreams and goals. Interested? Check out our work from home resource site!

Cleaning Out the Car

I do not understand how some moms have cars that are clean and spotless. My car looks like someone lives in it- literally. The kids bring in toys and leave them. We have every paper that comes from Sunday school on the floor. Not to mention, my seats have all sorts of stains, even though they are BLACK fabric! And I will not even bring up the french fries that appear under the car seats!

So today, my goal is to clean it out. It may only last a few days before it gets cluttered up again, but it is a start.

If I got my windows tinted, maybe no one but me would notice. Except when the papers go flying out as I put the kids in their car seats!

Florida Weather on the 4th

Today we had a wonderful day with our good friends, trying to be around the pool. But in Florida, even in a drought, it rains on the 4th.

Every year, it is a wait and see if the fireworks in our town get to go off on time. Some years, they haven't even made it on the 4th, but had to go off the next night.

Today was rain as usual for Florida, for about 1-2 hours. But luckily the fireworks started right on time. They had to... we had lightning during the fireworks! Rain looked like it was coming.

My son, who was very excited as the neighbors were sending some small fireworks off, was playing in the sand on the beach during the big show. My daughter, who would not come out at first, squealed with excitement the whole time! It was a lot of fun and worth the drizzle! For once, it was not 90 degrees and humid... maybe 87 degrees which is cool to a Floridian!

Hubby Has More Surgery to Come

Well my dear hubby has more surgery to come next Tuesday. This time a tumor. They will remove it, then biopsy it. We are thankful the tumor is localized and may or may not be cancer, may or may not need chemo or radiation. We just have to wait and see. Be praying!

Back From Vacation

We had a great week with the cousins at the beach for the week. We went to the beach, played in the pool, and went to a great Children's Museum. There are three cousins born within 8 months, so they had great fun together! Now... back to work!

You too can be an INFOPRENEUR

I am a partner in Smart Moms -Smart Business, LLC. We just recently became official but we began our work at home journey back in March 2007 after coming across a work at home mom website. We knew we could provide high quality training for moms that work at home, plus try to gather some names of women that wanted to join with us.

Since then, we have learned so much more than we ever thought we could have known about doing business on the internet. We have divided into two paths: working from home in direct sales and working from home by becoming an INFOPRENEUR: an information entrepreneur.

We are building businesses from information we already have. I was a school teacher so I am building a site with preschool resources. You can see the beginnings at Preschool-Activities-Everyday Blog. We have also created an eBook that is a guide to lose weight. You can see the site at 30 Days To A Healthier You!

And the point being here is that 3 months ago, I would not have believed I own and operate 5 different websites and have written 2 1/2 eBooks! And you can do it too. The internet is an amazing place to build and sell information. Everyone wants it, no one wants to take the time to look for it. So build a site with one location for all the top information, and you can make money!

If you want more information and a free report with the links of all the resources we have used to build our business, visit Smart Moms - Smart Business and subscribe to our newsletter. It is free to join and free to get the report. And click on some of the links on the sidebar to see more about what we have done over the past 4 months. We are impressed and hope you are too!

I am on vacation for a few days! No cable, no phone, no internet! Gotta love it!

What A Find For Dinner Ideas!

I have previously used a meal planner for dinner ideas, and then I get out of the habit. it really does save you time if you plan your whole week before you go to the grocery store.

Yesterday, I was looking for party food ideas and I found Everyday Dinners on Yahoo! Food. It has four different categories- gourmet, classic, quick, and healthy meals- all for free. It provides the recipe for the main dish and then you fill it in.

The whole section of Yahoo! Food is great!

Make sure you check this one out!

My baby's birthday

Today my first born turns 4. I am thinking back to the 18 hours of labor, ending in a c-section, baby in NICU for 20 hours, and 5 days in the hospital for me! What a day! And I would do it again...

I am so thankful for my children and thank God for the gift of having them. Neither birth went smoothly- although I am great a being pregnant! I am thankful for the days I spend with them, even when I am on the computer and they are playing around the house.

Children are a blessing. Be thankful for them everyday!

You know it's been a while...

You know it's been a while since you have cleaned the bathroom counter when your 4 year old says, "Where did all the stuff go?"

Thank goodness I cleaned today!

Picture Day

We went to get pictures done today for my son's birthday. He will be 4 this week. We always get their pictures around their birthday. He did great, for the first three pictures and then it was all over. He did not want to pose any longer. And I wanted a picture of them together- not happening! One day, when they are older, we will be able to do that, but for now, I will have to be happy with my candid shots I take on my own. They truly look like themselves in those pictures anyway!

Nap Time Dilemma

We are again in a nap time dilemma. Now our little girl is the one... she is only two! Just two! She doesn't need to nap until late in the afternoon, then she will not wake up within a hour or so, and then she wants to stay up till late in the evening! Some times, she is waking up just before our son goes to sleep for the night (he goes to bed early!). But if we keep her up, she can't make it... tonight she feel asleep even though we were trying our best to keep her up- bribing, "bubbles" (Sprite), talking to her, etc. So now we will wait and see- will she get up or will she stay asleep....

More tomorrow!

Preschool Activiites

I have started a new blog, hoping to be a daily blog: Preschool Activities Everyday. I am excited to be posting a new activity to do with your toddler and preschooler each day. It is so easy to incorporate small activities that are fun. Not to mention, all of it is learning and all of it is bonding. The time you spend with your preschooler is invaluable! Take the time each day to do one activity. I will supply the information, you just have to schedule the time!

YAHOO verification

I cannot figure our why, but five to ten times a day, yahoo wants me to verify that it is me sending an email. It would not be so bad but for some reason I can't ever get the letters/characters right! I am an educated woman! Why shouldn't I be able to type in a few letters and numbers? I am not visually impaired (although places like Earthlink now offer that option- maybe I should take it!) and I know my ABC's and 123's. I get it wrong at least 2 times a day...

For now, I guess it is proving I am not spamming- since I send a gazillion emails per day. I need to get better at figuring out those codes!

And speaking of ABC's- my little girl (just 2) and I were at Walmart last night, waiting in the very long line to buy diapers, and she started pointing at the letters on my shirt. I said "ABC" and she said "DEF" and repeated the letters all the way to the end! It was so funny, especially LMNOP (children's favorite section)- she pretty much said "BLLLBLLBLLL", but in the right syllables!

Our ebook and site are finished!

I am so excited... The Smart Moms finally completed our ebook, 30 Days To a Healthier You!, site and all and we are ready to launch! You should really check out our free fitness 7 day boot camp. In addition, we completed a second site and book strictly on metabolism... it is a $7 report you don't want to miss out on- as I was working on it, it made me want to go get a big glass of water and start exercising (see the yoga booty ballet post).

Overall, we are working together to build some internet sites to monetize our knowledge (which is far greater than it was 3 months ago!). If you want more information about starting a home based business, go to the Smart Mom site and subscribe to our newsletter to get a free report giving you lots of options for working from home.

A Play Doh Party

My son's birthday is coming up next week. We had been debating over what type of party to have for him. His two best friends are his two cousins. So we thought we would take the three of them to a water park for the day and have a great time, just the three of them.

He climbed into bed with me yesterday morning and told me he wanted a play doh party. I thought that was a great idea. He is a little obsessed with play doh these days. We ran out a while back (a lot gets thrown away since it does not make it back into the container) and I have not had all the ingredients to make it. He went to a party the other day and he and his sister got a small 1 oz container in his party favor bag. He treated it like gold- until we did not put it away and it ended up in the garbage.

And then he thought of this idea... so we are going with it! His party is in less than two weeks, so I went to the play doh site, and they have these great "snow globe" type containers to save your creations. We are going to use those for party favors. We also got a bunch of colors of play doh and cutters to play with during the party. There are some listings for these types of parties, some actually make the dough. Not me- I go for the real thing! But I have not idea how he came up with the idea... sounds like fun to me!

TV Encouraging Exercising!

I do let my kids watch TV, but the are limited to what they watch, more than when they watch. When it is 100 degrees outside, I do feel we can stay inside and do some t.v. time.

One of my favorite channels is Noggin. No commercials, preschool on t.v., etc. And the shows are really educational, or at least without violence. They even have music in between shows and show "field trips" and cooking demonstrations. It is really a great channel from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Our favorites of course are Diego and Dora, The Wonder Pets, and Oobi.

Diego and Dora are also on Nick Jr. I don't like that channel as much because there are commercials for toys and things which give my children too much to ask for!

What I find funny is that for the summer, they encourage exercise! It started a few years ago with Lazy Town, a show about kids that only play video games and watch t.v. During the commercials they would encourage some moving around. I just heard it again today on Nick when we were watching Dora- "get up and run in place." I just find it funny because they really don't want children to leave, but they are getting them to move while they stay! If the children actually did go play, who would watch the shows!?

But exercise is important, even if it is for a few minutes between shows. What if adults did a few minutes each commercial break? We would probably lose a few pounds a year!

Yoga Booty Ballet

For two mornings in a row, I have gotten up and exercised! I have used my DVD, Yoga Booty Ballet and did the fat burning and the hip hop abs. It is so much fun! If you are a former dancer this is definitely for you! If you have no dancing experience, it is for you too! It is too much fun... you don't even feel like you are exercising!

I do have to say, I bought it a few months ago (for much higher than you can get it for on the link to Amazon), and I only did it twice. But after writing an article on metabolism and how great exercise (and water) are good for your metabolism, I can only think of drinking water and doing exercise to burn those last 10 pounds I want to lose. More on the metabolism article later- and another great book on losing weight... soon to come!

A Long Week

This is Vacation Bible School week at our church. We have VBS each night for five nights from 5:45 - 8:30 pm, preschool through adults. And I am the director! So it has been a long week.

Not to mention, last night my son feel asleep on the way to Dairy Queen, so I did not get him any ice cream of course. And he woke up when he got home and wanted it, started crying, and then stayed up for another hour and a half! While my daughter fell asleep coloring the first night (she has been on a nap protest, but did take one today!). So tonight, my son fell asleep during crafts, right on the craft table. Rick went to go get him and got him in the car and he asked for his ice cream! His daddy went to take him to get his ice cream and he stayed awake for another hour at home and finally fell asleep!

It will be nice when things get back to normal, but then I will have to make dinner again. Right now, we get dinner at church each night- which is so nice!

A Late Night!

On Sunday, we were lucky enough to be able to get a babysitter and go out with our friends without kids! We went bowling (I won one round) and to dinner. Our son is infamous for taking "naps" at 7:00 in the evening. We forgot to tell the babysitter that, so he fell asleep and woke up before we got home. And our daughter went to sleep, but needed a diaper change when we got home, so she woke up too! So one was up until 12:30 am and the other until 2:00 am! We slept in until 9:00 am/ 9:30 am, but I did not recover yesterday until I went to bed at 10:00 pm! I was able to work on my website and such, but still, I could not believe how late we were up!

So does that mean we should not have a babysitter and should just live with having our children with us all the time!? I guess it is worth the late night to go out a few times a year! :)